Kylian Mbappe’s penalty kick was equalized by Robert Lewandowski’s spot kick as France and Poland battled to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday, meaning France will finish second in Group D.
Dayot Upamecano’s careless challenge on Ousmane Dembele earned France a penalty, which PSG star Neymar duly converted. But Lewandowski equalised from the same spot later after Maignan was adjudged to have left his line too soon and equalised at 1-1 from that spot in the 79th minute. The France national football team vs Poland national football team standings reflect the intensity of the match, highlighting the pivotal moments that kept the game evenly poised.
France
France’s national football team, commonly referred to as Les Bleus, has become one of the most accomplished in international soccer history. Winning two FIFA World Cups and finishing as runners-up on three other occasions including 2006 (when they lost to Italy). Furthermore, Les Bleus have established themselves as formidable competition winners, taking home victories at both UEFA Euro tournaments twice, Confederations Cup twice and Nations League once respectively.
In 1904, shortly after FIFA was established, Belgium established their national football team. Their inaugural match took place against Belgium at Vivier d’Oie Stadium in Uccle on 1 May and resulted in a draw; Gaston Cypres scored their only goal that day.
Poland found it difficult to make an impressionful first half showing against France, yet managed to get several attempts into the French penalty box despite poor passing and finishing skills that prevented any of their shots from hitting their target.
France was able to quickly establish some momentum after the break and was rewarded with a penalty kick converted by Kylian Mbappe, marking only his second ever penalty kick for France and his return from injury caused by a broken nose against Austria in their opener.
France’s defense held off Jakub Kiwior and Lukasz Skorupski’s threat, but Robert Lewandowski managed to break through to give Poland an equalizer before eventually winning their shootout for all three points and progression into the knockout stage.
France dominated their Group D match against Poland at Euro 2024 and fired shot after shot on their goal, currently with +600 odds to win it – their first since 2006. A revitalized France squad led by Didier Deschamps and featuring stars such as Zinedine Zidane made it all the way to the final of 2018 FIFA World Cup and proved they can compete with top sides from around the globe.
Poland
Poland is a nation which has experienced both highs and lows when it comes to international football. During their “Golden Era” from the 1970s and 1980s, their national team won the 1972 Munich Olympic gold medal as well as finishing third at two consecutive World Cup tournaments; making them an absolute powerhouse of world soccer. Following the fall of People’s Republic of Poland however, their fortunes took an abrupt downward turn when they failed to qualify for three successive tournaments at World Cup tournaments and finished 14th at 1986 edition tournament.
Polish football has seen steady improvement since then and the national team has qualified for all of the major European championships since 2003, but has failed to advance past group stage at each tournament.
At UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, they were drawn in an intense group alongside England, Sweden, Bulgaria and Luxembourg – though their struggle resulted in only equal points being earned compared with England despite finishing tied on points earned, just missing out due to goal difference. Furthermore, at the next tournament in 2002 they failed to win any group games before finishing at the bottom of their group again.
Poland last competed at an important tournament at Euro 2016 Championship where they reached the quarter finals before losing on penalties to eventual winner Portugal. Their performance exceeded all expectations and gave their national team some much needed confidence that they can compete with some of Europe’s strongest sides.
At this tournament, Leo Beenhakker led Poland under his management; however, due to their failure in qualifying for their first World Cup tournament since 1948 (it would have been their debut), Beenhakker was let go and Gennadi Nawaka took over coaching duties; following which Poland experienced unprecedented success on an international stage.
Now, the national team will prepare for the UEFA Nations League tournament, in which they are set to face Scotland and Croatia as initial group stage opponents. Charlotte FC player Karol Swiderski was recently called up by his nation in hopes that he can help guide them towards qualifying for later stages of competition.
Head-to-Head Record
France and Poland are regular opponents in World Cup qualifiers for UEFA competitions, meeting twice prior to 2018. Their head-to-head record boasts four wins each by France in matches from European Championship qualifiers for France; two draws were recorded by Poland against France with their best victory coming during a third-place play-off victory for 1982 World Cup in Poland’s favor.
Didier Deschamps and his squad will look to build upon their goalless draw with Netherlands in their Euro 2024 opener, in order to avoid an early exit and avoid humiliating early exit. Kylian Mbappe’s injury has dominated headlines but recent news from France indicates there’s little cause for alarm – particularly on defense.
French teams possessing multiple ways of scoring should take confidence going into their match against a Polish side who have struggled for goals at this tournament. Set pieces have provided Poland with their greatest chances at scoring goals; therefore, Poland may use this advantage by forcing France back into their own territory and forcing goalscoring chances out.
Both teams have shown signs of improvement during this competition, yet it remains to be seen if their individual abilities will combine to form an impressive team performance. One key differentiating factor between France and Poland is their respective responses to pressure; France boasts more experience while Poland has excelled under duress.
France have won two out of the eight FIFA Confederations Cups competed, making them second only to Brazil (who have four victories). Their first victory came in 2001 after they entered as reigning World Cup winners and defeated Japan in the final match, before going on to claim another one two years later when beating Cameroon 1-0 in 2003’s tournament final match.
Match Statistics
Kylian Mbappe should return for France’s Group D final against Poland, joining Bradley Barcola as starting players after both were sidelined due to injury during their team’s 0-0 draw with Netherlands last time out. Mbappe’s return will provide Les Bleus with an added boost against Poland.
Last time these sides met was in November 2015 at Stade de France and France was victorious after scoring goals from Antoine Griezmann and Edouardo Camavinga in the first half. But in the second half, Poland equalised thanks to Robert Lewandowski scoring from a controversial penalty spot after Mike Maignan left his line prematurely; Lewandowski made no mistakes from the penalty spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with his shot from 12 yards out.
At a critical juncture in the game, Dayot Upamecano unwittingly brought down Poland substitute Karol Swiderski in France’s box, drawing penalty appeals that initially were turned away before eventually being granted after further review. Mbappe stepped up and shot past Lukasz Skorupski for his 48th international goal; later he took off his mask to celebrate this achievement!
Mbappe quickly exploited an opening down Poland’s left flank, racing past three defenders before cutting back for Giroud, who attempted to direct his effort into the bottom corner but his shot was blocked.
France seem to temporarily lose their way as they struggle to create chances, with Lewandowski and co. looking threatening on the counterattack. Mbappe was set up by Kante but his sidefoot shot straight at Skorupski instead.
But France quickly recovered and regained control with an inspired Mbappe backheel that set up Kounde for an accurate pass, breaking through defenses to set Giroud up with an attempt at first-time strike blocked by Bednarek and setting him up again with another magnificent Mbappe delivery that Giroud headed just wide of goal.
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